


The Best kind of Surprise

by makingitwork



Series: "I'm gonna fix this place up" [2]
Category: Bates Motel (2013)
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Happy, Normero, dylan and emma have a baby, grandma norma, grandpa romero, protective Alex, slightly AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 13:44:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13718937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makingitwork/pseuds/makingitwork
Summary: Emma and Dylan introduce Norma and Alex to the new family additions.





	The Best kind of Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!!! Sorry it's been so long!!! 
> 
> Prompted by "fandomaffected" which hugely inspired this, and "BatesDays" who's comments were so nice!!!! And also "fab girl" who wanted more Dylan/Alex scenes- gotta admit I do love writing them!!! Such good chemistry as characters- I wish they'd had more screen time!

Norma keeps noticing grey in her hair. 

Alex notices her noticing, and he can see the way she winces ever so slightly when she looks into the mirror and catches them in the right light. The way she fingers the strands, and plucks them out with a scowl and a swear to the way time is changing her.

He thinks she looks beautiful, like little rivets of silver amongst gold.

He tells her as much, and she smiles at him, their eyes meeting through the reflection of the mirror. 

"Oh please," she teases "you just want me to look like an old crow, just like you." He laughs, ducking his head as she traces his crows feet with the pad of her thumb. 

He's a little older looking than he'd like, but his hair is still black, he's still in shape, and he can still make her blush the way he did when they first met. 

Obviously, that had been a blush of almost being caught for murder but-

still. It counts.

"They'll be here soon." He reminds, squeezing her shoulder and heading towards the wardrobe to pull out his favourite jumper. It's only after he's pulled the soft wool on over his head that he realises it's one that Dylan got him for father's day a few years back- shy and a little obnoxious.

 

_"What's that?" Romero blinked, pointing at the package on the table._

_No one responded._

_"Hello? The gift?" He turns to see Norma hiding her smile into the palm of her hand, and so he turns to Dylan, who's usually a little more reasonable._

_Not today. Dylan is glaring at him. Romero wonders what he's done now._

_"It's a present." Dylan responds stiffly and Alex buttons his shirt cuffs, nodding._

_"Yeah. I can see that. Thank you. What for? Did someone send it?"_

_"No." Dylan huffs, he sounds put out, and Alex is lost now. Does that have something to do with Norman? Has Norman sent this and wreaked havoc onto what should have been a perfect day? "I got it."_

_Oh, Alex thinks. "Oh."_

_Dylan sighs, kicking the toe of his shoe into the floor "I got it," he begins, sounding remarkably strained "for you."_

_The Sheriff pauses. He has no idea what to think now. He appraises the parcel and manages a smile. "Thank you?" He hedges, edging towards it "what's the occasion?"_

_"Christ," Dylan mutters under his breath, and Norma laughs, her voice like bells._

_"Open it, Alex," she assures, and he does so, carefully._

_It's a...jumper._

_Blue, with a gentle orange zig zag pattern across the upper portion of the chest. It's soft. Looks relatively expensive. It's...nice._

_"Thank you." Alex says again, and Norma stands up, and he thinks he's said the wrong thing._

_"It's Fathers Day, Alex," she whispers, and then she leaves the room._

_Alex flounders, staring at Dylan in disbelief- then this is- oh-_

_Well._

_"Thank you." He manages again, and this time his voice is choked up, and he's clutching at it with both hands._

_Dylan manages a small smile "finally."  He murmurs "Not too bright for our Sheriff, it's a little worrying."_

_Alex manages a shaky laugh._

_"Emma helped me pick it out, I just...I dunno, I thought..." he looks up at the ceiling, scuffs his foot again and exhales "I thought, why not?" Alex nods, barely perceptible, and Dylan crosses over to him and touches his arm in a pseudo hug._

_Alex doesn't return it, still clutching the jumper._

_"So yeah. Happy Father's Day. Or whatever."_

_"I..." He can hardly believe it. He wants to say so much. He's thinking so much. He's always wanted a kid, and Dylan is rough around the edges, but lately Alex had been feeling like they were better connected. More of a family. And how happy this must have made Norma just made it even better. He wants to say how he thinks of Dylan as his own, how he'd do anything to protect him- how he loves him. But the best he can manage is: "Thank you."_

_Dylan laughs, easier this time. "Yeah, you said that already, old man." He shakes his head "I'll see you later, I'm having brunch with Emma and her dad."_

_"Oh, so you're a brunch person now?" He jokes, moving into more familiar_ _territory._

_Dylan follows his lead easily "Hey, don't start. I'm not the one who owns a dad jumper."_

_Alex snorts, and Dylan ducks his head; pleased._

 

Alex smooths the jumper down. Maybe he did pick it subconsciously, he wants to feel close to Dylan. As close as he can. 

"Oh yes, they will be," she clasps her hands and then starts applying some light make up. "Are you sure we shouldn't have gone to them? I don't want them having to drive with the baby."

"It's a short drive," Alex soothes, patting down his hair with his hand and forgoing his comb. Norma rolls her eyes at him, but he only grins unabashedly at her. If you can't be scruffy around family then who can you be scruffy around?

"But still, they have a baby..." her concerns quickly gives way to excitement "we're grandparents," she squeals, and whirls on her vanity seat to face Alex, who can't help but grin back at her childlike enthusiasm. Though he's certain he'd have been ecstatic about it himself. "I can't wait to meet her."

"Me neither," 

Watching Norma prepare for meeting her grand-daughter had been quite the spectacle. All new hand stitched clothes, toys bought and collected, tips and recipes all listed and written down, and now watching as she prepared a huge lunch, all nutritious for a breast-feeding mother, high in nutrients and everything else under the sun. 

Alex had taken a similar approach. He'd built a sturdy cot, pleased to be working with his hands on such a project. He'd also made a small rocking horse, varnished and polished and sanded smooth. 

They see the car pull up from the window exactly on time, and Norma beams 

"Just like Emma to be on time!" She squeals, clapping her hands.

Alex looks at their display, all the presents ready, and the warmth of the house and the smell of the food, and shakes his head a little in shock of it all. It's so wonderful. Everything is so perfect.

Norma opens the door, and hugs Emma tight.

Alex appraises her. She looks good. Her hair is slightly shorter, but still long and brown, and her fringe goes into cute brown eyes. She's beaming, radiant, and her stomach is significantly flatter than the last time he saw it. She's wearing a pair of easy fit pants and an over-sized jumper.

He realises with a pang the weather outside.

The wind is howling up a storm. 

"We made you come in the cold." He frowns, lips tilting down, and Norma gasps as she realises. 

"No, no!" Emma rushes to calm them, she laughs "please, it was a blessing to have a reason to come out. Now come on," she gestures to the baby carrier in her hand, and sets it down, kneeling to lift out the baby girl. "Here she is," she murmurs, immediately passing her to Norma. "Little Caitlin Norma Massett."

Norma gasps, her eyes flickering in disbelief, and Emma giggles; delighted at being the bearer of such news. Norma cradles the sleepy baby in her arms, and Alex feels his heart expand warmly in a way he didn't know it was capable of. He gently nudges his finger into the baby's hand and Caitlin grips it tight. She has wide blue eyes , but they're blinking sluggishly. "Oh Emma, you didn't have to!" Norma gushes, cooing the baby, and Alex is stunned but he shouldn't be surprised- to see how good she is with children. 

Emma notices too, and she and Alex share a fond look. 

"Sorry she's so tired," Emma apologises "car journey's make her so sleepy. She'll be full of energy after a little rest."

Alex nods, and peeks out into the cold "where's Dylan?"

Norma looks up too; alert and frowning "Is he alright?"

Emma laughs again, she looks inordinately pleased and Alex decides that motherhood suits her enormously. "He's fine. He's just getting some things from the car. But we do have something to tell you."

Alex and Norma stare at her anxiously. Alex moves a hand- big, strong and protective to the small of Norma's back, just in case it's the worst. Not that Emma's giving any indication of that. 

"Well, you know how we said we had a baby girl. It's not that we were lying, exactly..." she wrings her hands together in pure excitement, and just before Alex can piece it together, Dylan steps in with another baby carrier. "It's twins!!! A baby girl and a boy!!"

Norma and Alex stare in shock. 

"Oh my god..." Norma whispers sweetly, and Dylan grins. He set the carrier down, closes both doors, and the warmth engulfs them as soon as the cold is shut out. He lifts the baby boy out, and offers him to Alex. 

Alex takes him a little stiffly- unsure, and unused to babies, but Dylan can sense that, and adjusts his grip wordlessly so that no one else notices. 

"What's his name?" Alex whispers, as the little baby- quite awake, lifts a hand to bop his nose. He smiles so widely that his eyes water.

"Um..." Dylan and Emma meet each other's eyes "well, actually...his name is Caleb Alex Massett." The young couple hold hands and Dylan peeks at Norma "Is that okay, mom?"

Norma blinks back a few tears and clears her throat "it's perfect." She whispers, nodding, a few strands of silver and gold fall into her face "he would have loved them."

Dylan smiles, a little tight, and Emma holds him closer. He turns to Alex "and after you, of course."

Alex doesn't think he could love his family anymore than he does right now. Fatherhood suits Dylan immensely too, and with his scruff and muscled body, he and Emma make quite the attractive young couple. And their twins are works of art, with blue eyes and button noses. Alex has never felt more blessed in his entire life. "Thank you," he whispers, and Dylan laughs freely 

"Where have I heard that before?" He kids

"Brat," Alex murmurs, rocking Caleb softly. 

"Holy c- moly," Emma breaths, catching sight of all the gifts. "What in the..."

Norma grins, lifting her shoulders impishly "what do you think? I made a few outfits- I'm gonna have to start on some more for little Caleb, you should have told me," she admonishes, but everyone can tell she doesn't mind. 

"They're beautiful, Norma," Emma says; awed. She runs her hands down the rocking horse "did you make this?" She asks, eyes fast on Alex.

"I uh...had a little time."

"It's beautiful, Alex." She wipes her eyes, before grinning "the storm coming means we may have to stay a little longer than necessary. Is that alright?"

Dylan rolls his eyes at her obvious tactic, but Norma leaps at the chance. "Of course! The guest bedrooms are all made up anyway! And I have food to spare..." she keeps talking logistics, breaking in between to coo at the sleeping baby in her arms, as she and Emma head into the living room. 

Dylan sidles up to Alex, who's looking down at the beautiful baby boy.

"Feeling old, old man?"

Alex thinks he could joke, but instead he meets his son's eyes "Feeling incredibly lucky."

The new father half smiles "yeah, I've been feeling that a lot lately. Also tired. Very, very tired."

Alex chuckles "come on through, take a nap after dinner."

Dylan touches his shoulder softly, and nods "thanks, dad," he whispers, and it's tender and soft and so meaningful, that Alex has a hard time understanding that this is his life. 

"I love you, son," he says, even quieter, and then clears his throat "alright, don't get soft on me. Let's go do some manly things."

"Sure," Dylan agrees easily "you're dressed for it." He plucks at Alex's jumper with a cocky grin and darts into the living room after his wife and mother.

Alex tries to press his lips together to stop from smiling, but he fails. He looks down at Caleb who had been listening to the entire encounter intently. "Your daddy is a man child." He whispers, and the baby giggles "but that's okay because he loves you very much. We all do."

The sound of Norma playing the piano and beginning to sing filters through the air, and Alex hurries to the living room to join the others.

To join his family.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!
> 
> Prompt and comment!
> 
> PS: I refuse to let this fandom die. I'll steal it from the morgue and freeze it if i have to
> 
> mwah x


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